We at Greenstone Design UK believe in a joined up approach to play. From a quality of life perspective it is every child’s right to play out. As sustainable landscape designers we work with communities and school groups to develop playful, healthy communities. We work with voluntary groups to enable cost effective, transformational design. We design carefully to ensure volunteer labour can use locally available and recycled materials to create dynamic play spaces, local to where children live.
Children’s play can bring communities together. When that play area is filled with bio-diverse planting, edible, climbable shade trees and abundant wildlife, the whole community benefits. Children learn to love the environment as they break bits of it for their use (den building), they learn to value nature as they watch, chase and catch butterflies, depression, obesity and social isolation are countered while having fun, outdoors.
Children’s outdoor play can reconnect children with nature. We need to think about the wider picture and the huge opportunities that neighbourhood play spaces can provide, for the whole community.
